Joy Ride Vol 9

Brainstorm Road’s Friday dose of fun, inspiration, and action

This week Brainstorm Road took on the question, “Who cares?” Who cares about this poem? Who cares about sea turtles? Who cares if I write another song about heartbreak? Who cares if I want to start a TikTok about beading?

You care.

And that is reason enough to do the thing you want to do.

We’ve engineered a world where we over-scrutinize every action we take. We assess, analyze, and optimize every choice; force it to justify its existence. What will I get out of this? What will it do for me? Why does it matter? Why is it a good choice?

When it comes to our Dream Projects, the truth is it might not be a “good choice” in the way “going to medical school” or “checking your tire pressure” is a “good choice.” But these things are not equivalent.

It’s troubling that we use the same assessment approach to art that we do to choosing a new leaf blower.

You need not justify, explain, or make sense of why you want to write sci-fi fan fiction, start a podcast for people with questions about mitochondria, dry flowers in your kitchen, or make a jar full of wooden lasercut $%^#s.

Humans are (predictably) irrational. The best parts of life are the things that don’t have any justifiable reason to exist. Siete almond flour churro chips? Fried oreos? Bed skirts? The stiletto? Beer? Cat memes? GLITTER!

There are a million justifiable reasons not to do our Dream Projects.

Ignore those. We are not buying a stove or negotiating an insurance premium. We’re talking art, dreams, and desire. The only justifications you need are:

You want to.

You care.

You can.

Worth Your Time

• Watch: Reese Witherspoon riff on how, “You have to do something, literally every single day, to push your dreams forward,” aka she’s a fan of Brainstorm Road (or will be once she hears of us…)

• Read: Who Cares? if you missed our piece from earlier this week.

• Check Out: The full Atlantic article referenced in the Who Cares? piece above

• Read: For Mary Jane by the inimitable

  Nora McInerny
  whose substack, She Tried, we’re obsessed with. We are particularly fond of this piece about Nora’s grandmother and art at a time when art wasn’t a thing women could do. And yet…READ IT. ok bye.

One Small Thing

This weekend, tell someone what you’re working on (or want to be working on) without justifying it, explaining why it matters, or rationalizing why it’s worth your time.

Start in the comments. What Dream Project are you doing because you want to and because you care?

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This has been Vol 9 of Joy Ride: Brainstorm Road’s Friday dose of fun, inspiration, and action.

If you know anyone who would enjoy this newsletter send it to them and tell them we say hi and you’re awesome. :)

Happy Friday,

Margo + Kristin

PS: Thanks for being here.

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